Moving into 3D, the first thing I did was add an image plane of the sketch in Maya, directly to the camera. Using a base 3D model (base mesh, feminine type) as a reference, and with a fast rigging setup, I posed the character while trying to recreate the same dynamic that had been in the Photoshop sketch. For certain zones, such as the shoulders and hips, I also used the Lattice tool to increase the curve effect of the body.

The entire project was made using a fast Maya sketch, followed by digital painting in Photoshop, so that I could see how to move on and how the lights could be managed, as well as the ensemble. Then I returned to Maya, adding the new sketch as an image plane, and remodeling and redefining it again. Then it was back to Photoshop again, and so on until I got what I wanted.

For the sternocleidomastoid muscle of the woman figure, I wanted to have a cylindrical form, applied directly to the model, to obtain a more interesting shape (Fig.02). When I had both the shape and pose I was looking for, I better defined the model, starting from Maya, creating the UVs and then exporting everything in ZBrush to add more details.

Fig.02

To draw the headgear, I created a series of shapes using Maya (mostly deformed spheres and general forms) which I combined with the draft. Then I exported the group of items in ZBrush and, using DynaMesh, I sculpted a second, more defined, volume, using brushes such as Clay and Swirl.

I made the metallic jewel section with Maya and then positioned the leaves using a MEL script, assembling the whole headgear (Fig.03).

Fig.03

The pose of the dragon was hours in the making. To create a fast draft of the study pose, I used a Daz model for the dragon body. The head was modeled separately using ZBrush then added to the rig. The snout was squat, while working, and didn't satisfy me (Fig.04).

Fig.04

During a final trip into Photoshop to define the image details, I made a sketch of a longer head. I then modeled this in ZBrush, together with a new animal body to replace the one I used in the test (DynaMesh and QRemesher)(Fig.05).